Mihalko’s Fire and Water Restoration

Is your facility prepared to handle a disaster caused by water or ice damage? Last minute decisions in the time of calamity are proven to increase the cost of recovery. Let Mihalko’s Fire and Water Restoration handle the emergency situation at your property so you can keep business operations running smoothly.

Mihalko’s is a full-service property restoration company working with all major insurance companies for (38) years. Mihalko’s is fully equipped and trained to handle both residential and commercial claims with our 24/7 on call emergency response team. Our vehicles, state of the art dry out machines, and team of experts have successfully managed thousands of insurance claims for over three decades.

Mihalko’s follows national industry standards complying with IICRC and ANSI. Our trained emergency response team can identify the category and class of water damage, evaluate the situation and begin cleanup quickly and accurately. Motivated decision making can reduce or prevent the spread of damage and also decrease the possibility of sickness to building occupants.

A signed Emergency Response Agreement allows the Mihalko team to work with your facility putting in place an emergency plan for a catastrophic water or ice event. Mihalko’s takes on the responsibility of working with the insurance adjuster to create a loss estimate and proceed with the cleanup of the property and rebuild if necessary. Mihalko’s will provide record keeping including content inventories and required moisture measurements. We can bring your building back to pre-loss condition without burdening your staff and maintenance, risking a workers compensation claim by using facility employees during disasters.

Mihalko’s has (3) locations throughout Pennsylvania, you can expect the same service no matter where your facility is located. Whether a small claim or widespread loss, insuring that your staff and facility has a plan in place is our goal.

We work towards your satisfaction and peace of mind without compromising daily business. We look forward to taking your property emergency plan from reactive to proactive.

Call us today at 814-535-2700

Is Your Excavators Insurance As Comprehensive As It Could Be?

Now that the season has made good weather a common occurrence, chances are that you’ve walked past a construction site or two as business picks back up for builders, excavators and contractors alike.

As a passerby, it’s likely that you’ve never even given the workers a second thought. But if you’re one of the workers operating an enormous piece of machinery day after day, helping to clear out an area or build a new structure, it should come as no surprise to you that your entire operation needs to be properly insured.

Insurance is important for any work site, but is especially vital on active construction and excavation sites. For contractors, insurance offers protection against different levels of risk regarding possible accidents, injuries, or even property damage caused specifically by ongoing work. Like contractors, excavators need comprehensive insurance as protection against the many risks associated with working in the construction business; while contractors generally manage the oversight of a construction project, excavators are exposed to a range of potentially hazardous situations involving underground digging, heavy machinery, cranes, and sometimes even explosives.

It only takes one small mistake while working as an excavator to create a large problem that could damage the area being worked on – or worse, injure a worker. And if a company has the wrong insurance policy, they may not be properly covered in the event of a worksite accident or lawsuit.

Fortunately the right insurance will help ensure your company’s safety and financial security, allowing you to focus on working safely, rather than worrying about what you’ll do if something goes wrong.

Don’t spend your valuable time worrying about what your insurance covers – instead, let our team at the Fisher Widmann Flick Insurance Agency help you. Our experienced team of staff members working throughout central Pennsylvania can ensure that you’re fully covered by your Excavator Insurance. Our cost-cutting services will give you full coverage in a range of areas, including:

-Commercial General Liability or Umbrella Liability Insurance

-Underground explosions or collapses Insurance

-Owned or Leased Contractors’ Equipment Insurance

-Fleet Coverage Insurance

-Property Insurance

-Workers Compensation

Working with our staff will ensure that your business can continue to operate knowing that its equipment, employees, and financial well-being are all protected with the best insurance plan that’s been tailored to your needs.

So go ahead and make an appointment with one of our staff members – whether you’re in Johnstown or any other area in central Pennsylvania, and whether you need an entirely new policy or to just update the one you already have, we’re here to help you make sure that your excavation business is fully covered for a reasonable price. Our representatives in Blaire County, Cambria County, Somerset, Latrobe, or in any other nearby counties are all ready to work with you so that you can concentrate on your business, rather than your worries.

Contractors: Don’t Forget To Double-Check Your Insurance Coverage!

If there’s one thing we can expect every spring, it’s that the warming weather will always bring a flurry of new work to contractor’s doors as homes and businesses alike look to repair, replace or even build any number of desired systems, structures and appliances.

While the spring season is good for a contractor’s bottom line, we urge contractors to pause before they rush to work on their latest incoming projects. Because contractor jobs by definition often carry unique and fairly dangerous risks, now is the time to ensure your business will continue to run smoothly by checking and confirming that your insurance comprehensively covers any likely worst-case scenarios you’d see in your line of work.

As with any type of insurance, different contractors insurance plans cover different levels of risk regarding possible accidents, injuries, or even property damage caused during your work. Contractors insurance usually falls into one of three major categories:

General liability insurance: Typically included in most contractors insurance packages, general liability coverage protects against things like lawsuits and other financial liabilities.

Commercial vehicle insurance: Does your work require use of a commercial vehicle? If so be sure to look into commercial vehicle insurance, whether you use a car, truck, van or even trailer, to make sure this important business asset isn’t neglected from a coverage standpoint.

Business owners insurance: Business owners insurance is perfect for contractors who own business-related properties, such as garages or warehouses. These policies usually include general liability insurance with other business related coverages, including but not limited to loss of income, property, and commercial vehicle insurance.

 

Depending on the type of contract work you do, you may also want to include additional coverage options in your insurance policy. For example, some contractors find that comprehensive liability coverage works better than a general liability policy. Where you work on your contracting jobs – such as a construction sites, riverside projects, and so forth – can also impact your coverage needs.

Don’t think you have the time to evaluate all of this yourself? Not sure what coverage you actually need to succeed? Go ahead and make an appointment with one of our Fisher Widmann Flick Insurance Agency staff members to evaluate your contractors insurance policies. Whether you’re in Johnstown or any other area in central Pennsylvania, and whether you need an entirely new policy or to just update the one you already have, we’re here to help you make sure that your business is fully covered for a reasonable price. Our representatives in Blaire County, Cambria County, Somerset, Latrobe, or in any other nearby counties are all ready to work with you so that you can concentrate on staying safe on the job, rather than worrying about what would happen if things went wrong while working.

10 Important Safety Tips To Remember During The Holidays

December in America is a time of tradition and celebration, thanks to the three major holidays that take place throughout the month. This year, with Hanukkah already at a close, Christmas and Kwanza are looking to steal the spotlight for the remainder of the year.

Despite their differences, all three of these holidays share common elements: the use of lights and fire. As a result of holiday traditions that use these items, our holiday celebrations can pose a real danger if not practiced safely. Consider these statistics:

-Each year ERs across the nation treat around 12,500 people for injuries related to the set-up and use of holiday lights, decorations and Christmas trees, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). These injuries usually result from falls from stepladders or roofs, cuts, or shocks from faulty electric equipment.

-The CPSC also warns that candles start about 11,600 fires each year, resulting in 150 deaths, 1,200 injuries and $173 million in property loss.

-Finally, Christmas trees are involved in about 300 fires annually, resulting in 10 deaths, 30 injuries and an average of more than $10 million in property loss and damage. Causes of these fires often range from short-circuiting to damaged cords or plugs.

We want to ensure that all of us can enjoy the holidays safely – plus, good fire and electric safety practices are the key to keeping your property and casualty premiums low. Due to this, we’ve put together a list of ten tips that you can use to protect your home during the holidays; these are also tips that any business that has decorated for the holidays can follow:

1. Before putting up any holiday lights, review their packaging for the mark of a recognized testing lab to make sure that they have been tested and meet safety standards. Also, since there are different lights for indoor and outdoor use available on the market, it’s good to double check and make sure that you’re using the proper light sets in each area.

2. Before using your lights, check them over for broken or cracked sockets, frayed or bare wires, or loose connections. Be sure to throw out damaged sets and to replace any burned-out bulbs.

3. Check your extension cords and be sure that you’re not overloading them; a good rule of thumb is to use no more than three standard-size sets of lights per single extension cord.

4. If you buy a real tree for Christmas, ensure that you buy a fresh one – this means looking for a tree that’s green, sticky with resin, and that does not lose too many needles when tapped against the ground. Once this tree is in your home, be sure that it’s set up far away from heat sources like fireplaces and radiators (and do not light any candles near the tree!). Give it plenty of water to keep it from drying out as long as possible (and dispose of the tree as soon as it begins dropping lots of needles, as this is a sign that it’s becoming even more flammable).

5. Check that the items you use to trim your tree are made from non-combustible or flame-resistant materials.

6. If you buy an artificial tree, make sure that it’s fire resistant; note that while this does not make the item fire proof, it does lesson the chances of a fire starting (and should a fire start, it’s likely to extinguish quickly).

7. Never use lights on a metallic tree, as faulty lights can create a charge that could electrocute someone who touches a branch on the tree.

8. Do not put a tree up in front of a door or in a busy hallway, as this can cause an accident or even block an emergency exit in unforeseen situations.

9. Always double check that candles have been extinguished when no one is in a room or when you to go bed. Additionally, always turn off all of your holiday lights, from the ones outside to the ones on your tree (fake or real) when you go to bed; a single short in a light circuit or candle accidentally falling over can easily result in a fire.

10. If you open presents and have a fireplace, do not burn any wrapping paper in the fireplace; since wrapping paper can ignite quickly and burn intensely, a flash fire could develop right before your eyes.

Tips like these should be added onto the safety procedures we recommended using during Thanksgiving, since safety guidelines for cooking and keeping guests out of harm’s way should also be taken in account during December celebrations. Remember: taking these precautions will go a long way in protecting your friends, family, and your property during the holidays, allowing you to truly enjoy this most wonderful time of the year.

Our Fisher Widmann Flick Insurance Agency staff all wishes you a Merry Christmas and happy holidays. Stay safe!